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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28669020">Drive To Survive</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FredAndGeorgeForever/pseuds/FredAndGeorgeForever'>FredAndGeorgeForever</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Accidents, Alternate Universe - Sports, Cute Kids, F/M, Fans, Formula One, Hospitals, M/M, Nerves, Post-Divorce, Racing, Secret Crush, Secret Relationship, coming out of sorts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 05:01:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,712</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28669020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FredAndGeorgeForever/pseuds/FredAndGeorgeForever</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack Harkness is a world-famous Formula One driver. But there's one thing he never really succeeded in. All of that might change after a drastic event in his life. Or will he be too late with his revelation?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness/Lucia Moretti, Lisa Hallett/Ianto Jones</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I've used quite a bit of Formula One jargon, but I've tried my best to explain it in the story. So if there is still something you don't understand, ask me and I'll explain.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"You're going down, Jones." He said while he passed his number one opponent. His team was still making last-minute changes to the car, it was only ten minutes before the start of the race and they had to get ready. Of course, he hadn't meant it as he said it, he just wanted to tease him, because on the track it was every driver to themselves, no matter how close you were. He never wanted anything to happen to anyone, not even the people who kept making it difficult for him to win, they were your friends after all. Many weeks of the year you spend with those guys, so even when during the race the competition was on, he liked to enjoy their companionship outside of the race. But even though, he felt this lingering guilt after he'd said it. Ianto Jones just laughed at him when he passed him and went towards his own team while he went to his minder - basically his personal assistant. Gwen had been his minder for many years now and he couldn't imagine his career without her, and she’d become far more than his minder. Over the years a friendship like no others had bloomed. He had her to thank for so many things. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay, you need to focus. Put on your helmet." She said and handed him his racing helmet. He'd already put on his suit, even though inside his suit everything felt really hot, it was there to protect him if something happened. So no one was allowed to go without, just like the helmet and the neck brace. Safety first they always said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright, now get into that car and good luck. Remember, to finish first, first, you have to finish." She said after they'd talked through a few things before the race. The most essential thing in these last few minutes before the race was to focus. Focus on the race and nothing but the race. Your personal life needed to be somewhere locked away behind a door and only come out when you were finished and stepped out of the car. Only then you were permitted to think about anything else but the race again. It was simply too dangerous to be distracted when you were driving so fast.  While driving, you need to become one with the car. Otherwise, you might lose focus and crash.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As fast as he could he made his way towards his car, even if he wanted to he wouldn't be able to miss it as anyone around him would point or if necessary even drag him towards it. You couldn't just miss a race, there were too many people counting on you. Especially your sponsors. John Smit, his best friend - and accidentally one of his mechanics- helped him inside. Deep breaths in and out. The tricky part was lifting your legs high enough to go past the halo and end it inside. It wasn't the fanciest thing, the halo, but at least it would save his life if something big would come his way. He'd already witnessed Alonso Frame’s life being saved when a broken off wheel bounced his way. And let alone the time a whole car flipped over and slit over another car. It was a definite improvement in the safety department.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"2 minutes till the start." Someone - he hadn't really been paying much attention to the outside world - told him. He was ready. Maybe today at Silverstone, he would defeat Jones. Last week he'd been defeated by him in the last lap when his tyre punctured and he had to make an emergency pitstop. He only just finished second. For a while now it had been a neck and neck race between him and Jones for first place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright Harkness, pay attention, you're going to have to start your formation round in a few seconds." His team told him in his earpiece. Sadly, it had happened before that the traffic light signalled to them to start racing, but that he hadn't been paying attention. It had only been one time, but ever since they'd been warning him beforehand. Just to be sure. He watched straight ahead of him and not even a few seconds later the red lights had burned brightly, signalling them to start their warming up round and stop their cars on the right position. He'd managed to become first in yesterday's qualifications, so he could start at P1. Jones was behind him and on third place was Hart, to keep things short he really disliked John Hart. But at least he knew he wasn't the only one. John Hart acted rather like he thought himself to be the best in the world. He had no shame in what he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright, we're sticking to plan A. Remember that." They told him through the comm while he was patiently waiting for the others to fall into formation and arrive. It wasn't long before they did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The red lights sprung up one after another until they all but disappeared and gave off the sign that they were ready to race.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From the side on the track, he knew someone would be waving the flag, but he was too busy trying to drive as fast as he could without causing any accidents. Almost it seemed that in the first curve, Jones would catch up and take his pole position. But he did what he had to prevent that and drove away from them. His rearview mirror told him that they were quite a few seconds behind him by now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled while he concentrated on the road. The most important things right now would be not to crash, yes it would be very nice to win too. But to crash would mean no points and - you always had to keep that in mind - possibly get injured or die. There had been accidents before where drivers died on the track. The Formula 1 had always been a dangerous sport, but he knew what he signed up for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything went fine, no one seemed to be able to take his pole position from him and he was able to drive for as long as possible - 29 out of 52 rounds - with his tyres before he started to get the feeling that they were completely wasted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Rear tyres are death." He informed his team. They almost immediately answered him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Box, box." This was his sign to make a pit stop as soon as possible. He still had to drive about half a lap before he made it, but in that time a lot of things could happen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How many seconds is Jones behind me?" He asked them, he wanted to know if they made a quick stop, he would still be first or if he would have to fight for the pole position again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Far enough to not worry." They just said, his rearview mirror told him that he could be lucky, but the moment he drove into the pit he could see Jones following him. Clearly, he'd had a similar conversation with his team.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With one of the quickest mechanics of them all, he drove away before he could count to two. Jones was somewhere behind him luckily so he wouldn't have to be afraid of that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything went fine from his perspective, until the 48th round. Jones and Hart came closer, very close. Jones made an attempt to drive by him and take his position. And that's when it happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He defended his position and Jones disappeared behind him. He accelerated, he didn't want this to happen again. But behind him, something shocking was happening. Before he knew it he saw a car spin and hit the guardrail. Out of nowhere, something exploded and a cloud of fire came from the car. He tried to stay professional and focus on the track, but his mind went to what was happening behind him. He needed to know more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What's going on? I saw the flames!" He asked, rather panicked at his team. Patiently he waited what their answer would be. In the meantime, it had already been made clear that a safety car would come.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We don't know for sure yet, but apparently Jones crashed. We’ll keep you updated." Shock went through his body while he drove further. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No! Is he alright?" He gasped. His head definitely wasn't in the game anymore, but he had to make sure he wouldn't crash too. He slowed down when the safety car appeared in front of him, which made the others slow down too. Most likely they had also heard the news. It wasn't even a minute later when he heard his mate - John Smith - through the comm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mate, keep your head in it for now. They just announced the session is suspended, so stay calm until you've stopped the car." He tried to do what he was told, he really did. But fear went through his body as if death had just come to visit him. Cold sweat appeared on his forehead when he drove into the pit. If they suspended the session then it couldn't be good. Quickly he stopped his car and got out, maybe someone knew anything. If only they could tell him if he'd made it out of his car alive. He was helped out of the car by his dear friend John Smith, who had a grave expression on his face. This really didn't make things better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>" Do you know anything?" He asked immediately. He hadn't even taken off his helmet or placed back his steering wheel, but at this point, he didn't care about this stupid race anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry, Jack." He said and took him by the arm. John took his steering wheel and placed it back in the car before he accompanied him away from the car. Officially he should be busy with the car. Right now they could make some changes or repairs to the car without having to make a pit stop. Within no time Gwen came flying in his arms. He let his head hang and his unoccupied arm circled around her waist. He would always be able to find some comfort from her when things got rough. Especially after a tough race or when his temper would come and play she would be able to calm him down. She was the best friend he could imagine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Have you seen what happened?" He immediately asked her. Still, with his helmet on, he could only see a little that John left his side and went back to the other mechanics to tinker on the car.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Only a little, I did see him and Hart's wheels hitting one another. But after that, it all went so quick."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘’That doesn’t sound promising. Do you know where Tosh is? She must be frantic!’’ Tosh was Jones’s minder and the two had a bond as close as siblings. Most of the time one wouldn’t be found in the pit without the other. He took off his helmet, quickly he wiped away the stray tears that had fallen down his eyes. He gave his helmet to Gwen and put on the BadWolf cap she provided him. Sponsors where everything. His team sponsor was BadWolf, so of course, their logo was clearly visible on every piece of F1 related clothing he had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘’She’s with the pit crew. They’re waiting for news if Jones is going to be alive.’’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a nod and a sad smile, he said her goodbye and made his way towards Torchwood's pit lane, where he knew to find Tosh. On closer inspection he found everyone from Ianto's crew hovered inside together, watching the TV. There was this rule that they wouldn't show anything from an accident until they knew for sure that the driver was alright.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alive that meant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So everyone started to become antsy while they waited in front of the television for the latest news.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tosh, you okay?" He asked when he walked inside Ianto Jones's area. James Roger, Ianto's teammate was standing somewhere outside waiting for the latest news while his crew tinkered to his car. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll be okay as soon as I know he's alive." She said while she was nodding her head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could see that she'd been crying and who could fault her for that? He would be bawling right now if he'd been her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just then the news came on and the television hanging only a few metres away from them switched to an anxious Ianto Jones sitting in the medical car. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He's alive!" He whispered. He was quite shocked to see him alive as from what he'd seen of the crash hadn't looked very promising. Relieved he let out a sigh and took Tosh in a one-sided hug while they waited for more news. But what he saw next shocked him so much that it could've meant his death. They showed the clip of how Ianto had escaped from his car after the crash and boy did it look horrifying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few Marshall's with fire extinguishers were trying to extinguish the fire a little while they waited for Ianto to make it out alive. While on the other side of the guardrail Martha and Owen - the doctors who were driving the medical car during the race - were trying to find Ianto in the fire. They were lucky that they were also wearing fireproof suits otherwise they would've been burned alive. A blessing in disguise, Ianto Jones climbed out of the fire and over the guardrail on his own. Once out of the fire, Martha and Owen immediately took each one arm of the young man and guided him towards the medical car which was standing on the road. It really was a blessing that they had to wear fireproof suits these days - it would only hold for a max of 30 seconds, but even though, without them, Ianto Jones would've been long dead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh no!" Tosh screamed through the room. It was loud enough for everyone at the pit lane to hear, but he didn't think anyone would care about it. Shock overtook them all while they processed everything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It looks like Ianto Jones has just escaped the claws of death a few minutes ago." The commentator said. " He's sitting in the car right now, looking rather dazed. And we just heard that he will be taken towards the hospital to be checked out thoroughly, where he will most likely be staying for the coming couple of days." An ambulance arrived on the tracks and the ambulance crew came out of the back. With them, they took a stretcher and lowered it to the ground. Ianto was carefully lifted out of the car by Martha and Owen and together they half carried him towards the stretcher - being careful to let him stand on his feet as little as possible - where they lay him down. Martha and Owen stayed behind while the ambulance crew rolled Ianto into the ambulance and closed the doors. Before he knew it the ambulance was driving away and they once again went back to repeating the rescue of Ianto on a loop. This time he could clearly see that Martha and Owen had dragged Ianto out of the fire as soon as he jumped onto the guardrail. Adrenaline must've been what got him out of that burning car in the first place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I can't watch this anymore." He said out loud and turned around. He was ready to break out into sobs when Gwen walked towards him. Her eyes looked so kind compared to other times he'd come to her with this problem. But she knew, oh she knew about his problem. Before he even registered his surroundings changing he felt her feminine arms closing around his broad shoulders. He let his gaze fall to the ground once again, but this time he let his tears be knowledgeable to the rest of the world. He knew there was a camera crew walking around here somewhere to film them, but he just didn't care. The one thing he cared about right now though was Ianto.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know, I know." She whispered in his ear. People who didn't know any better would think they were sharing a love life together. But she knew that was never going to happen. And last he heard she was pretty content with her current boyfriend. Even though most of the world didn't know about that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I need you to man up right now, your daughter wants to see you. She's really distraught and wants proof that you're alive. You need to put your feelings aside for a moment and calm her down." Gwen told him. Lucia - his ex-wife - had told him she'd be coming by with Alice this afternoon, just like she did yesterday. It was always tricky for him to find time to see his daughter through the busy schedule, so whenever he could he would come towards them and spend as much time as possible with her. Now that the race was held in the UK, Lucia kindly drove all the way from Cardiff towards London for the weekend so they could spend some time together after the race. Which meant, of course, he'd shown her all the things behind the scenes so she knew what daddy was doing when he was away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded at Gwen and wiped his tears away. His daughter would always come in the first place. He said goodbye to Tosh and followed Gwen towards where he knew his - once - family would be. He would never say a mean word about Lucia, yes she did break his heart. But he could understand why she couldn't live with the constant fear of him dying each time he started a race. In a way, he figured she was still afraid that he would lose his life one day, but in a different way. Nowadays she would be more afraid for her daughter not being able to see her father while growing up than she was to lose her lover.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once backstage he immediately found her. If they needed him for something they would know where to find him. And Gwen would probably get a call before they would try and search for him anyway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Little Alice ran as fast as she could towards him and with one swish he picked her up and flew her through the air. He put her on his hip and watched how her bright face glowed. Not counting yesterday, it had been a while since they'd seen each other in person. He called her up almost every day and even video called her regularly, but that couldn't make up for how it felt to hold her in his arms. No matter how old she was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Have you grown?" He asked her. He could see a few tears on her cheeks and gently wiped them away. Most likely she'd seen the accident happen live on air. So she had any right to be distraught.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not since you asked yesterday, daddy." She gladly told him. Her smile could light up a thousand households.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then what is it that you've been crying about? Has Tessa gone missing?" He asked her and booped her nose. Tessa was her dolphin stuffed animal that she almost never parted from. He didn't see the dolphin anywhere nearby so he tried to defuse the tension with that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, Tessa has safely been put in bed this morning," Lucia said and came closer towards them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why don't you tell daddy what's wrong." For her 5 years old she was most of the time smarter than her peers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice looked down at her hands, which were playing with something small to keep her occupied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is Ianto going to die?" She asked softly. Of course, she knew who had crashed, he introduced her once to everyone on the grid. She didn't seem to be very sure of what she asked, but at the same time, she seemed to know perfectly well what she was talking about. Her puppy dog eyes looked up towards him and exactly that look of hers was something of a weakness for him. Suddenly it became very hard to swallow while he tried to think about a way to respond to her. Lucia kept herself out of the conversation for once and just waited for him to say anything, even after he sent her a pleading look that said: 'HELP!'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he knew that he had to do this himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No honey, he won't die. Have you seen him get out of the fire?" She nodded and watched to see if he would give her something more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can you die?" She asked silently, shortly after and didn't say anything anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course I can. We all die at some point." Her tiny hands grabbed his shirt as if her life depended on it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But will you die at work?" She knew that when she couldn't visit him regularly it meant that he was at work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I hope not. It's all supposed to be very safe. So today something went wrong. But there are lots of rules that should prevent this from happening." Reassured she loosened her hand a little, but she still held onto him like he was a lifesaver.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can I come with you to see him?" Naturally, he'd already figured out a plan to go see Ianto as soon as possible. First, he had to wait until the doctors were finished and then he wanted to leave and visit him as soon as he could. He really needed to figure some things out first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once again Lucia didn't want to cooperate and left him to his fate. The problem was when she used her puppy dog eyes, he just couldn't say no to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course you can. Why don't you go make him a nice drawing? Daddy needs to go back and finish his work before we can go back to the hotel." With that, she let go of his shirt and thoughtfully began to smile. Her head jumped up and down while she began to talk about how many drawings she was going to make for Ianto.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He set her down on her two feet and looked at Lucia, who'd been smiling down at them both.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can I take her with me today after I'm done?" He asked her. It had been a while since Alice had stayed at his place for the night. And summer holiday had just started for her after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sure."</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Not long after he'd left them alone and went back towards the pit Gwen came to him with the announcement that the race had been completely cancelled. Apparently, the track had been damaged so much that they would need to replace at least the guardrail for them to be able to race safely, which was going to take quite a while. So the FIA had announced that they cancelled the race. They'd been almost done anyway so he didn't really mourn it. He didn't even know if he would be able to focus again after what had happened. He really had to visit Ianto and talk to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Jack put on a happy face. You’ve been crowned winner and they're coming down to start interviewing you guys before the award ceremony." Gwen told him after he'd watched the crash for the umpteenth time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rhys, Gwen's - not so - secret boyfriend would be doing the interviews that day. So it was no wonder why a smile came on her face when she mentioned the interviews.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait, so that means Ianto has won second place?" He quickly asked Gwen before she would start to walk away. He had no idea what she was going to do, but her plan was definitely to not stay at his side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, they looked at the rankings from a lap before the accident." She yelled at him while she retreated further and further away. What was the problem with her? He shook his head in confusion and began readying himself for the interview which - emotionally - was going to be rather tough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't much later when he was standing in front of the camera being asked all kinds of questions about today's race.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So Jack, it's been a hectic day. You were the leader for pretty much the whole race, did you even for a moment, think that it would end like this?" Rhys asked him as soon as he stood before him. The questioning began and Gwen stood - not so - far away from him blushing like a madwoman. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course not. You always hope for the race to end spotless. Naturally, reality caught up. I really hope Ianto is going to be okay and I like to send my best wishes to him and his family."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Only this morning you announced that you would be quitting after the next season. Do you think accidents like these helped you make this decision or was it purely on accident?" Sometimes Rhys really managed to ask the wrong question at the wrong time. Rhys could probably see from his face - and otherwise from Gwen - that he just wanted to get out of here, but still, he tried to stall him for as long as possible. Keeping his temper in check he answered like the gentleman he always seemed to be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>" Not really, I mean look at me, I'm nearly 40. I've spent most of my life on the tracks and I haven't really been able to make a life outside of it because I'm almost always away. I mean, I’ve had some pretty amazing years at Badwolf, but once there comes a time when you have to leave. And for me, that’s now." He laughed at his own words, but deep down he took it far more serious than anyone would ever be able to imagine. He really just wanted to find that one person with whom he could spend the rest of his life with. Was it so difficult to ask for such a simple thing as love?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So you aren't afraid that one day you'll crash your car and won't make it out alive?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course I am. We all are. But at the same time, we knew what we signed up for. Accidents like these make you realise how precious life is. So yes, I'll be glad to say I made it out alive after I quit. And I really hope that Ianto is going to be okay." He let out a sigh of relief when someone signed to them to switch places with John Hart - who managed to finish third.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He walked away from Rhys - glad that he didn't have to answer any more of his questions - and shook Hart's hand and congratulated him with his third place.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--0O0--</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"At a third place, John Hart." The commentator's voice rang through the air. Backstage he was waiting for his name to be announced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And at second place, Ianto Jones." Instead of Ianto - from who nobody really knew how things went - Torchwood's team principal - Yvonne Hartman - walked onto the stage, smiling like she owned the world. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And last but not least in first place, Jack Harkness." That was his sign to walk up the stairs and onto the podium. He took position on the podium and placed himself between a gleeful Yvonne and a smirking John. He took off his cap and placed it in his hands behind his back and waited for his country's anthem to be played. Every time he won the first place he had to hold in his laughter, because of the first time he won the first place. It was a rather funny story actually. In the beginning, his teammates thought he'd been joking about him telling them that he came from Scotland because he sounded so much like an American. So they always laughed at him when he told them otherwise. So every time he imagined their surprise when he stood on the podium for the first time at the first-place spot and the Scottish anthem could be heard. Ever since that day they believed that he was a born and bred Scotsman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the constructor’s anthem had been played he let his body relax and watched how the man - who had introduced himself as Adam - handed the third-place cup to John. The man walked away while John held the cup in the air, he looked rather irritated, probably because he hadn't been able to be first and get more driver's points. Then Adam went to Yvonne and handed her the cup which she just held loosely in her hands - not really knowing what to do with it. And then finally, he was handed his own cup, with a wry feeling he accepted the cup and held it in the air. When normally there would've been a loud yell from his team there was now silence. No one really felt like celebrating today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This one's for you, Ianto." He whispered, not loud enough to be heard by anyone but himself above the loud voices of everyone else. Everyone acted rather happy when they showered each other with champagne. But appearances can be deceiving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was over before he knew it and he felt rather sticky when he had to go back and be interviewed by journalists from almost all the countries across the world. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--0O0--</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Showered and changed he walked back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you ready?" He asked and kneeled down on the floor to ask his daughter - who was still busy making as many drawings as she could. She'd already made 5 drawings - all of them including an F1 car. Looking up she nodded vehemently and sprung up from her chair. He watched Lucia, who came closer towards him with a bag in her hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I quickly packed some clothes from the hotel while Gwen looked after her. You can take these for tomorrow." Gratefully he smiled at her and took the weekend bag out of her hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll bring her back tomorrow somewhere close to the evening." He said and with that Lucia walked away and left them alone for the coming time. He was thankful that she let him see Alice whenever he could, even when that meant almost never being able to see her in person. At least she sent some photos to him whenever it was impossible to see her for a prolonged time. Alice put her pencils and drawings in the backpack she'd taken with her that day and walked towards him. He took her hand and together they went towards the exit. He was going towards the hospital right now. If they wanted him to or not.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--0O0--</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just before they went to the hospital they made a pit stop at the hotel to drop off their bags, but immediately after that they took a car towards the hospital he managed to find out Ianto was currently lying in. With Alice on his hip, he walked into the hospital, it was quite a fancy one as he'd been brought to one of the closest private hospitals. He promised Alice that she would be able to give her drawings to Ianto because she felt just as sad about the whole event as he was feeling. There was still this invisible hand clutching around his heart whenever he thought about Ianto. He only just realised what he felt for his competitor when he almost lost him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hello, I'm Jack Harkness, I'm here to see Ianto Jones." He told the young receptionist. The mention of his name brought out all sorts of emotions on the woman's face and for a moment he was afraid that he would have to deal with yet another fangirl in the presence of his daughter. It had been one too many times. But just in time, her face became neutral and her smile disappeared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you family of Mr Jones?" She asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, but we race together in Formula 1." Given how her face had gone quite crazy only a few seconds ago he figured she knew what he was talking about. After a few more questions - and a signature on her shirt - he was let through towards the first floor and if he had to believe her Ianto would be lying in room 4. He followed the path towards the elevators and pushed the button. Surprised he looked at his right, Alice hadn't said or done anything since they'd walked into the hospital. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The lift dinged and he walked into the open lift in front of him and pushed the button for the first floor. His brain was aching, but he had to go on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice's thumb went into her mouth and with big eyes, she watched everything around her. The lift rode upwards and within a second they were out of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright, let's go find Ianto." He told her enthusiastically. The signposts above them told him he had to go right and follow path 2, so he did what he was told and followed the route. Before he knew it he was standing before room 4, patiently waiting for the doctor to be done. It was far more decent to wait outside until they were done instead of barging in and interrupting them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When finally their time came he put Alice on the ground and took her hand. He knocked on the door and waited for those beautiful Welsh vowels to tell them to come in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Together they slowly walked inside. Alice was beaming, while probably also a little shocked when she saw him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ianto's hands were hanging in some sort of sling from the ceiling. They were covered in bandages and so was one of his feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I hope we don't come inconveniently. What am I saying, of course, we are. Is it alright if we visit you for a little while?" He had no idea if Ianto could see his face at the moment, but even if he didn't he was quite sure that Ianto understood how nervous he was. His rambling would be one of the signs he would be able to tell from.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course you're welcome to stay. Especially you Alice." Last year Ianto had met Alice when she visited the Silverstone race and - not surprisingly - the pair of them got along quite well. So much actually that Alice asked after him every time they spoke to each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, Alice," Ianto told her when she climbed onto the chair standing next to the bed. She had obviously figured out that she wasn't permitted to sit on the bed. The burns must've been rather bad if he was swaddled in bandages. He could even smell some kind of burn ointment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I made you some drawings." She said with that innocent voice of hers which would make anyone immediately buy something from her. If they lived in the US, she would make an amazing girl scout. Sometimes he wondered if she was really human or an AI designed with pure innocence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you so much, but I can't take them from you, you see my hands need to stay like this so they can heal properly," Ianto explained to her while he awkwardly stood at the footboard of Ianto's hospital bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why don't you lay them on Ianto's bedside table, so he can look at them without using his hands." He offered when she was thinking about a way to fix this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This she did, immediately she sprang from the chair she was sitting on and opened up the backpack which had been laying on the ground. Carefully she took out the drawings and before she lay them on the bedside table she showed each of them to Ianto first. He was glad that he wanted to do this, that he was so kind towards her. Not many people wanted to interact with children of others - when they weren't being paid for it or if they weren't family.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A kind nurse walked into the room, clearly knowing that something was going on. They hadn't even been inside the room for that long before their rest was interrupted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Visiting hours haven't yet started." She just told them. One look at Ianto told her not to send them away - or so he imagined as she was about to say something but changed her mind on the spot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can I ask you something?" He quickly asked and took aside the nurse before she walked out of the room. She nodded so he continued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>" Can you take her outside of the room for a little while? I need to talk to Mr Jones. Take her to the vending machine and give her something sweet." He nodded towards his daughter who was rapidly talking to Ianto, who in his turn smiled brightly at her. Alice had that effect on people in general.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sure, I'll give you ten minutes." He grabbed his wallet out of his pocket and gave her some money for the vending machine. Alice would have a sugar high for a while probably if she got sweet for the amount of money he gave her, but he would be able to deal with that later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alice," he said kneeling down in front of her, " this kind woman is going to get some sweets with you, would you like that?" At the mention of sweets, she turned shyly towards the woman. They'd always taught her not to take sweets from a stranger so he could imagine her doubt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's okay. She'll bring you back to us. You can trust her." He reassured her. So she ran towards the nurse - who closed the door firmly behind her when they left the room. He could hear them talking while they walked away until a silence surrounded them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With his hands in his pockets, he turned towards Ianto, not really sure what to say or how to start.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you okay?" He decided to ask first. It was only natural to ask for his friend's health. Because that was the reason why they were at the hospital today, after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm alive. Could always be better, but I'm thanking that angel on my shoulder today for keeping me alive." He sat down on the chair his daughter had previously occupied and watched how his feet nervously moved from the left onto the right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What's wrong Jack?" Ianto asked him. He looked up into his eyes and could see something akin to empathy for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You know how some people figure out they love someone after something drastically has happened?" He asked. He didn't know if Ianto had heard him as he was quite sure his voice had dropped its volume to a whisper. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A silence that seemed to go on forever followed until Ianto was the one brave enough to break the ice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, but that only happens in the movies." Collecting all the courage he had, he looked Ianto straight in the eye and told him what he'd been thinking for a few hours now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, that just happened to me." He breathed. His voice barely audible above the sound from the beeping machines Ianto was connected to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you for real?" Ianto asked him after what felt like forever. At first, Ianto's breath had stopped, then when reason took over he began to think about the words he'd heard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"100 percent positive." He whispered into the air. Did he really want Ianto to hear his confirmation? But what came next might've been the most shocking thing he heard ever since the news had come that Ianto was still alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank god! I thought you never would." His eyes, so busy scanning his feet, shot up towards Ianto's face and found a broad smile plastered on his mate's face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wha- what do you mean?" Confused he stood up and took a step closer towards the hospital bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Just what I said. I'm so glad you finally figured it out." A tear escaped his eye and slowly ran down his face until it fell down onto the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you alright, Jack? You look as white as a ghost." With eyes full of tears he stumbled backwards. The back of his knees hit the chair he'd just left and with a bang, he fell down on the chair. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wh… when did you…." He tried to ask Ianto, but the words didn't want to leave his lips. His brain just crashed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So long ago Jack. I don't know for sure which year it was, but I know only a little while after your divorce. I just thought that maybe you would figure it out a little sooner, with all the flirtatious teasing between us. It was kinda obvious." Ianto turned his head around as best as he could while hanging in his contraption. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I remember that a special need child was present and was following your every footstep. You became first and you dragged the boy on the podium next to you and when you were about to be handed the cup you refused and told them that the cup should be awarded to the boy. It melted my heart." Ianto continued with his explanation. There was no right way of telling Ianto about how he figured it out as he thought it was obvious how that happened today. So instead he wiped away his tears and stood up once again. He sat down on the side of the bed and dreamily stared into Ianto's eyes. Neither one of them was saying anything for a while until he took the liberty to dip down and smash his lips onto Ianto's plump ones. It was like fireworks were going off inside his stomach. Everything felt right when he withdrew after the need for oxygen became too grave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If I could walk I would've done this ages ago, you dumbass," Ianto told him after he'd desperately gasped for some much-needed air. Time stood still while he stared at the angelic face of Ianto Jones.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come here then." He said mischievously before he dived down again and kissed his soft, warm lips. His flushed cheeks gave away how much he enjoyed it while their faces were practically glued together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How did you know?" Ianto asked curiously when he came up for air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm not too sure, I just know that when you crashed, I was feeling things I'd never realised I felt before. It was so much more than just friendship and at first, it scared me, because I didn't even know if you were alive. And then I was just rather petrified. Because those feelings… I was scared to admit it. But I knew that I couldn't hide it much longer. I just had to tell you before I went crazy with doubt."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's nice, but you know, If I didn't make it, then most likely there would've been someone else you'd fallen for. I've heard the gossip Jack, the many partners you've had." And just like that, the mood had changed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And you, out of all of us, should know not to trust gossip Ianto. Especially after that fangirl, what was her name? Lisa? Declared you guys were going to get married. None of it is true, I haven't been with anyone since Lucia." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh." Ianto gasped, obviously surprised by this revelation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And you know Ianto, there's only one Ianto Jones."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then you must know that there's also only one Jack Harkness. " Ianto lifted his head as far as he could up to reach his face, but didn't come close enough, so he closed the gap between them and passionately kissed him. He could hear some voices outside the room - assuming them to just be doctors - they continued with their steamy kiss until the door was opened and a shrill voice pierced through the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Look what I got daddy!" Alice screamed happily. Shocked, they separated within no time. Both of their faces were rather flushed - and if he was honest, he was in a rather aroused situation too - when Alicia came running towards them with a cute little badge saying: Assistant Nurse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's nice." He was really regretting his choice of letting someone feed her sweets, this sugar high was going to kill him.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Three days later - longer than they originally planned - he brought Alice back home when his free time was over. He really regretted not being able to spend more time with her, but he had to be on his flight to Germany that night. After all, the race would be two weeks after last weekend. Sometimes the team would need more time to transport the materials and acclimate to the new time zone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're going to be a good girl." He told Alice when he said goodbye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll see you in a few weeks, okay? And you can call me at any time." He promised her. Of course, he wouldn't be able to take the call every time, but he would do his best.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘’I’ll see you on the telly!’’ With a last goodbye - and an extra-strong hug - he left Lucia's house. It was only early in the mourning, so he had some time before he had to be at the airport. His bags were already packed and Gwen had told him that they didn't need him for anything today. So he took his chance and went to the hospital. Ever since he confessed his feelings, they had been using all their free time to spend some time together. And with a five-year-old to care for, that wasn't a lot of time. He knew Ianto loved every moment he could spend with his little friend, but right now he just wanted Ianto for himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Knock knock." He teasingly said when he opened up the door and found Ianto watching some television. He looked far better than he'd done last Sunday. Some of the cuts on his face looked less worrying and those straps from the ceiling had disappeared. The bandages stayed though. Which worried him. The big question was: would Ianto ever be able to race again?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How are you doing?" He asked after he closed the door. Officially he shouldn't even be here as visiting hours hadn't started yet. But one call from his boss had solved that problem.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm better, thanks," Ianto exclaimed. With big leaps, he walked through the room and sat down on the edge of Ianto's uncomfortable hospital bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How are the burns? Any news on their healing process?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Doc says the burns aren't too deep, so with lots of rest and treatment there's a possibility they will heal out of themselves." Gleefully he smiled at Ianto while he started to fiddle with Ianto's blanket. For once it was a hot and cloudless day in Britain, so the blanket had been discarded to the side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's amazing." Their eyes stayed locked onto each other while either of them waited for the other to start speaking. It took awhile but eventually, Ianto gave up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Jack, why are you here?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Because I like you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But what are you doing here?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Beca-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No Jack, the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth please."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I… I wanted to ask you a question." Defeated, he let out a sigh while he questioningly watched Ianto's response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Go ahead then."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>" I know we haven't really talked about this, but I'd really like to try this. You know, us. I would love it if you were to become my partner."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But I don't want the press to ruin it. Not yet. So if you agree, I would very much like to keep this between us, and maybe some close friends and family. People who won't tell the journalists basically." He looked away, not sure what Ianto would think of it. He felt a bandaged hand carefully slide down his face to get his attention. His eyes averted from the monitor and went back to Ianto, who was watching him, sadly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I couldn't have asked it better." He stated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hand moved towards Ianto's face and cupped his red, hot cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then it's official, partner." He whispered seductively and leaned closer towards Ianto’s lips. He stopped short of them and let his breath tease Ianto's awaiting lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Has a much better ring than boyfriend," Ianto answered back just before he had enough and took the liberty to attack Jack's lips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--0O0--</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The following months were so hectic that Jack barely registered them passing by until he was leaving his last race in Abu Dhabi to finally go home and enjoy his break. Finally, he could go see Ianto - who had been rehabilitating in Wales - and Alice - who was enjoying her Christmas break right now - in real life. Many video chats and phone calls had been made - some more innocent than others. But that didn't take away the intense longing he felt to hold his daughter in his arms and to snog the living daylight out of Ianto. Personally, the flight took far too long before it eventually landed in Wales. From there on it was only a short drive towards Cardiff - and the home he'd once had there. His - new - house had felt so empty since he divorced Lucia.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His phone beeped as soon as he stepped out of the car and was about to unlock his door. One quick look showed that Ianto had sent him a text message.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Welcome back, handsome.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Added to it was a picture that made his blood flow to certain parts of his body. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quickly he hid his mobile back in his pocket, he would deal with this later. Now he just needed to get his stuff in the house and warm himself up. The December cold had attacked his body and right now he longed back to the hot afternoons he'd just left hours ago. But that might also be because he was freezing and anything hot would do at the moment. Because those hot days he just left behind weren't that nice at all at certain moments of the day. With his hands full of bags - and even two across his body - he unlocked the door fully and opened it up. Once inside he closed the door behind him and let all the bags glide towards the ground, the rest would come later. It was rather dark inside, so he flicked on the switch and almost got a heart attack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Surprise!" Multiple voices screamed through the air. Jumping up from behind his couch was Lucia with a very enthusiastic Alice, a very chipper looking Ianto and - like always - his mom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice came running towards him and he felt so happy holding her in his arms. It really had been too long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, honey. What happened to your arm?" He asked her and hoisted her on his hip. Her left arm was put in a blue cast, but her smile was so bright that it could've lit up the whole of Cardiff for a year.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I fell down the tumble bar at school yesterday." He covered his shock up with a masked smile, he would ask Lucia all about it later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>" I got you a painting!" She exclaimed enthusiastically. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why don't you go get it then?" He set her down and immediately she ran away from them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, mom." He said and gave her a fierce hug. He was ever grateful that he could still see her whenever he wanted. Then he went on to Lucia who smiled at him. It was as if she knew about him and Ianto, the way she eyed him when he was about to go and greet Ianto told him that she'd figured it out. He wouldn't have expected otherwise from her, she was a born detective.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How've you been doing?" He asked Ianto sincerely after he'd given him the hug he'd wanted to give him for such a long time. He actually wanted to do far more, but that had to wait until they were alone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good, the burns have been healing pretty good." It had already been a few months since the accident, but the burns at one place had been taking their time to heal. Ianto's hands had been quick to heal, within a month they had been perfectly ready to use normally again. But the burns on his foot had taken more time. His right foot had been hurt pretty badly, the second-degree burn had taken its time to heal and so prevented Ianto from walking properly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Look at it daddy!" Alice said as soon as she came crashing into his living room again. She was holding a large white sheet, on it, she painted himself and Alice whose hand was holding Lucia's. But the most surprising thing of all was that he was holding one of Ianto's hands in the picture and Ianto's other hand was holding Alice. The house behind them looked very much like his current one and the sun was smiling down at them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kneeling down in front of her he took the painting in his hands and pretended to study it attentively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I love it. I'll be sure to frame it and hang this masterpiece on the wall." Happily, she turned around and hopped towards Ianto and got his attention by pulling on his shirtsleeve. Ianto looked down at her and nodded. He took her hand and together they walked towards his kitchen. He could see that they had become great friends in the time that he had been absent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What's going on?" He cocked his head as he watched Lucia trying to stifle her laughter. Walking back in came Ianto and Alice - slowly walking as it still hurt Ianto to walk - with a decorated cake in their hands. Ianto was obviously taking more care of not dropping it than Alice was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Happy belated birthday!" They sang. There were no candles on the cake - luckily, because if it fell the whole place would burn down - but he imagined that Ianto had talked Alice out of that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you so much." He said when they put the carefully decorated cake on the closest table. He walked towards the pair of them and both gave them a squishy hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Because we couldn't be there to celebrate it, we thought it would be a nice idea to do it now," Ianto explained to him while Alice clung to him like a monkey. She was far too happy to be here today. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They came with presents and ate cake while they talked about everything that he'd missed the past months. All the while Alice clung to him and never let him go. He could understand why she did this almost every time they saw one another. But at the end of the day, she always had to go back with Lucia to her home. At times like those, he hated himself for not trying harder to keep their relationship alive. But it had been done and there was nothing he could change about that, he could only think about the future, one that he seriously hoped would include Ianto, in whatever way he wanted. But hopefully as his partner for many years to come.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--0O0--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time moved on far quicker than he imagined. Before he knew it his last season had ended and he was scheduled to give his last ever interview as a driver. His last first-place cup would be awarded to him in a few minutes time and he couldn't really comprehend that this was the end. So much had happened since the last season ended. He and Ianto spend as much time together as possible and he had even been able to see his daughter more than once a week during his free time. Ianto made a full recovery, or at least that's what everyone had thought back then. The real problems came when they had to go back on the tracks for the winter training, only a month before the season would start. They'd been keeping their relationship a secret - except from Tosh and Gwen so if something happened they could cover for them. But that first day back when Ianto had to take a test drive, something happened no one had expected. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"What's wrong Ianto?" Ianto had been standing next to his racing car for about half an hour when he was called on his phone. They both stood in their own pit box with their own crew. Everything was very hushed hushed as no one wanted to let the other team know any secrets about their new car, even though they would present it in no time. He could see the fear in Ianto’s eyes when their eyes met on the phone. Quickly he walked out of the pit box for some privacy while he let the crew work on his car - he would make up an excuse if someone asked him what he was doing. More than anything he wanted to take Ianto in his arms and calm him down. He could see how Ianto was shaking on feet and his body was trembling.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Nothing is going to happen Ianto. They've checked your car probably more than any car has ever been checked." No one had counted on the mental damage the crash could've had for Ianto. And honestly, he hadn't even thought about it because Ianto had seemed like nothing had happened to him at all. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"But what if-" like lightning, he cut him off.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"No. No what if's! Anything can happen, I can board a plane and it can crash. I can walk onto the street and get hit by a car." He squeezed his suit-clad hand into a tight fist and looked him straight in the eye. He sincerely hoped his honesty was going to help him because if Ianto didn't go into that car today, his whole career would be done with. Slowly Ianto nodded to him and eyed the car like it was going to kill him on the spot. He could understand Ianto's fear, but he had to get through this. The next time things would be far less frightening.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I'll be on the tracks too and if you can't take it anymore just say so and get back inside." Ianto silently nodded one last time before he disappeared to go find his helmet and end the call. Slightly reassured that Ianto would be alright he left to go towards his own team. The next time he saw Ianto, he was cruising away in his car, showing them all why he still was there.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luckily Ianto had made up his mind and raced like his life depended on it. Many times in this season he'd been placed second because Ianto had been able to go faster and take the pole position. Of course, afterwards, they could celebrate in their private chambers. Maybe the best thing about their relationship was that they'd been able to keep it a secret - apart from their family and minders - so the tabloids couldn't ruin what they'd been building up. Now almost exactly one and a half year later they decided that the time had come. They had waited especially until Jack’s last day at the F1 before they announced it, as they had foreseen quite a bit of trouble because of them being teammates from other teams. They had no idea if such a thing was even legal. But he was glad that pretty soon they wouldn't have to sneak around anymore. It had been torture having to figure out different ways every week to sneak into each other’s room. But now it was time for his last interview. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘’Hello Jack, last time, how does it feel?’’ Rhys asked him immediately when he stood in front of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘’It was good. My last time could’ve gone a lot worse, but now I can look back at this season with joy when I’m starting to miss it.’’ He quickly answered Rhys, he wanted this done with. Interviews were never his strong point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘’And uhm… I heard a little bird whisper that you’ve got a surprise for us in tow. Am I right?’’ Rhys asked him, the smile on his face told him that Gwen had told Rhys secrets he didn’t want the rest of the world to know yet. But now was as good a time as any, that way they wouldn’t have to sneak a kiss in between somewhere. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well I don't know about a surprise, but it's news though." He started off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can tell us." Doubtfully he let his eyes wander towards a chipper Ianto who was talking to Tosh about something. Could he dare it? Ianto was next in line for the 'big' interview, what if he thought differently about it. Making a choice on the spot, he directed his gaze back to Rhys and began to confess.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, you know uhm… it's difficult to make it public, but I’m officially of the market again.’’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘’Oh wow, that’s some surprising new and may we know who the lucky lady is?’’ Rhys asked him mischievously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘’Hmmm, well why not. The lucky ‘lady’ is Ianto.’’ He even added the finger quotes just to make sure people understood he was mocking Rhys with the lady part.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘’You mean, this Ianto?’’ He asked and pointed towards Ianto who was still animatedly talking to Tosh behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘’Yes, we’re in a relationship.’’ The camera in front of him turned around and zoomed in on Ianto, this was the bit he didn't like at all. All the attention the confession would bring to their love life. They'd been pretty fortunate to keep it a secret for such a long time, but the timing couldn't be worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's some amazing news. We've all been fervently anticipating the news of a new partner. We wish you both all the best and we hope to see you back sometime next season. If only for moral support." Satisfied he walked away from Rhys and the cameraman. On the way he passed Ianto, he could see the questions in his eyes, but he couldn't do anything but give him a warning glance. He knew what was going to happen once Rhys had him alone and he sincerely wanted to help Ianto, but Gwen came to him and distracted him with things he needed to do before he would need to go to the podium. It was only mere minutes later when Ianto found him behind the podium waiting for their time to come on stage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What did you do, Jack?" Ianto asked him as soon as he came near him. There was no way he could run away from his problems now, they were due to be announced any minute now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I didn't do anything?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then why did Rhys congratulate me with our relationship?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, that!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, that. I thought we agreed to keep it a secret." Ianto whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, but I think Gwen told him. There was this sparkle in his eyes that made me sure he somehow knew when he began about it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had been so immersed in their conversation that they hadn't noticed they'd started to announce the second place winner - Ianto.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We'll talk about this later." He nodded as Ianto transformed his face into one full of glory and ran as fast as he could towards the stage. When his name was announced, he put on a poker face and walked onto the stage as if he owned it. Boy was he going to miss this adrenaline rush when he walked onto the stage and he heard hundreds of people celebrating his victory.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cap behind his back he looked up at the sky while the Scottish anthem was played for him one last time. His thoughts went to his father and Gray - both died far too young in that stupid car crash. His eyes filled with tears, and some even escaped their prison. No one would hold it against him if they saw him crying. He was only human, after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On his right side stood Ianto, smiling like a maniac about something he didn't yet know. And on his left side stood Mickey - the replacement of John for an indefinite period of time after the FIA found out that John sabotaged Ianto's car and suspended him for life and even sentenced him to a year in jail.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally being handed his price felt like being handed a baby. He was careful, it felt amazing and oh so glorious. He held it up into the sky, his last victory wasn't just because he managed to be faster than the others. It was because his whole team helped him get this far.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And on top of all that, he was a six-time world champion and if the odds were in his favour, then soon he would be crowned world champion for the seventh time in his long career full of good and bad times. Nobody would be able to take that away from him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time for champagne was always the most joyous thing about standing on a podium, spraying others with the alcoholic beverage was like having an expensive water balloon party. But as there was no permission to use champagne in Abu Dhabi, they used rosewater instead. It didn't particularly taste good - he made that unfortunate mistake once and would never again - but it was also extremely sticky. For the outsider - the one who didn't know differently - it would just look the same though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The corks popped and the mess began. Their laughter ran through the air and within those few precious moments, he made a decision. He was only one step away from him, but with the big bottle of rosewater still in his hands, he stepped closer to Ianto and kissed his sticky lips. The bottle slowly slid out of his hands and with a slam fell onto the ground. His hands circled around Ianto's waist as he pulled him flush against his wet body. It felt so good to finally be able to do this. When the air became too scarce they retreated and dreamily he stared into his partner’s eyes. The thought that everything was being filmed and broadcasted across the world didn't even come to him, but soon their little bubble burst and they had to face the reality that they just publicity announced their relationship for the rest of the world, even those who might not have believed it after having seen the interviews. He took Ianto's hand in his and squeezed it softly to give him some courage. They were both going to need that very much. Their interlinked hands left each other's and with one last dreamy look to Ianto, he picked up his rosewater bottle in one hand and his cup in the other. He could already feel his suit beginning to stick, he really needed a shower… like right now.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The last chapter is a bit shorter. I hope you liked it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Almost exactly a year and a half after he'd quit his career for good, nothing much had changed in his life, not even the way he'd thought their relationship would be changed rather drastically after they made it public. He was glad that he'd made the decision to quit because now he had far more time to spend with his daughter. Ianto and he had even moved in together rather soon after, just because they spend most of their free time together anyway. But he hadn't foreseen how much he was going to miss racing. That's why - and also because he started missing Ianto too much - he accompanied Ianto as much as possible around the world. They'd welcomed him back with open arms and he'd even been able to replace a sick driver a few times. But even though, most of his time was still spent in Cardiff with his daughter - and Ianto when he was free. But this time around felt special. They were at Silverstone again and he’d brought Alice with him. He'd arranged with Lucia that she could stay for the whole week. Apparently, she'd begun to show interest in F1 and wanted to start karting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ianto!" She screamed and ran away from his side at the pit box. He'd especially told her that she wasn't permitted to leave his side, but she would always ignore that rule when she saw Ianto nearby. Ianto caught her before she could run into him and threw her into the air, only to place her in his arms on his hip. Her squeals could be heard metres away above the loud engines. Ianto only just came out of his car, still wearing his helmet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hello, little girl. Did you think it went well?" He asked her seriously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It went fantastically!" She screamed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, that's nice to hear, but I've got to do a few things now. I'll see you later, okay?" He said and let her go. Alice nodded fervently and ran back to him before he knew it. With Alice back safely Ianto started to celebrate his victory with his team. He must've been overjoyed with his 1st place position, especially at a track that felt like home. It might not be Wales, but England was just as much home as Wales was. They were part of the same kingdom after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Patiently he waited for Ianto to take off his helmet and be done with the short pre-ceremony interview, so he could take him apart for a few minutes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Watching around him through the chaos he tried to find his friend and old team principal, Rose Tyler. She'd taken over from her father, Pete Tyler, the CEO of Bad Wolf companies and so also the big boss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Somewhere in the last few minutes, he'd lost her out of sight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come on, we're going to find Rose." Rose had promised to look after Alice for a few minutes after the race. Hand in hand they walked towards Bad Wolf’s pit box where she would most likely be right now. Just like always, it was very crowded, so after not spotting her he walked backstage and was almost embarrassed to say he found her. In the empty hallway towards the loo's, she stood snogging his best friend and former mechanic, John Smith. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry." He quickly said when they stepped apart after they got caught. He took Alice, who stood wide-eyed watching them while a grin was forming on his face, and walked away with her giving them their privacy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hold up, Jack," Rose yelled when she came running after them. Her hair was a mess and she was straightening her clothes while she walked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry about me, you can go back." Once he processed the shock he started to smirk at her. His eyebrows went up and down while he insinuated what they'd been up to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Promise is a promise. You go, we'll see you in a bit." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can you stay with Rose for a bit?" He asked Alice, who nodded firmly back at him. Rose took Alice's spare hand and began to talk to her about some behind the scene things when he left them behind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rose and John, he'd never figured that would happen. Especially not after her bad break up a few years ago. Romantically she hadn't really been happy ever since, he just hoped John would be able to make her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time he made his way out of the pit Ianto already went towards the podium with the others. It wouldn't be long before the ceremony would start. It was very unfortunate that he wouldn't be able to speak to him before, he'd really just wanted to speak to him alone, even if just for a minute. But it would come afterwards, or so he hoped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rose knew all about what he was about to do and had helped him prepare for it. She'd even managed to persuade the FIA to let him do it. Which to be honest, meant a great deal to him. Together with the whole crowd, he made his way to the place where the award ceremony would be held. But different from the rest of the people around him he made his way backstage - with his special pass - and started to ready himself. The nerves were definitely making things worse than they should be. Those silly butterflies once again returned into his stomach and all at once, it felt like he was a teenage boy again ready to ask the most popular girl of school out to prom - which Sasha had rudely refused at the time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was glad that Ianto wasn't able to see him right now, he literally felt like a complete mess. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"For the first time in a third-place, Luke Smith." It felt like a wake-up call when he heard the young boy's name being called through the speakers, it definitely was his sign to pay attention to what was currently happening around him instead of focusing on his fears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>" On second-place, his namesake, Mickey Smith." Only a few minutes now. Just before Ianto was announced the constructor of Torchwood took his place on the podium.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And last but not least, in first-place, Ianto Jones." Alright, this was his chance. He crept closer towards the entrance of the stage and looked at all four happy people on the stage. They were waiting for the Welsh anthem to start playing, but no such thing happened. One of the prize distributors nodded to him and played the music. Instead of the anthem, Queen's Somebody To Love was blasting through the speakers, their first song. With permission, he walked onto the stage, just seconds before he'd felt in his pocket if it was still there. Ianto, completely distraught, watched as he walked closer towards him. Before Ianto could step down from the podium he knelt down on one knee and produced the single black box out of his pocket and opened it. He could hear gasps from the people below and from the corner of his eye he could see the other two drivers look up, surprised, but there was only one person he cared about right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ianto Jones, I had no idea I loved you so much, until I almost lost you that day. Will you do me the extraordinary honour of marrying me?" Scared he watched how Ianto stepped down from the stage - his cap falling to the ground - and knelt down beside him. In this short moment, which felt like hours, he was completely aware that all cameras were directed to them both.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you even need to ask?" Ianto answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is that a yes?" He asked, unsure of his answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course that's a yes you silly." His head, which had once been full of doubt and fear, now filled with joy as he practically flew into Ianto's arms and kissed him feverously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You know, you could've just asked me at home instead of on the podium," Ianto whispered into his ear only seconds after their kiss had ended. He was still a little out of breath when he answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know, but as this is where it all started, it felt more appropriate." He smiled at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had only a moment of rest before Rose let loose his little girl and she flew around their necks even before he could put the ring onto Ianto's finger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Now you're finally going to be family, Ianto!" She yelled in joy. Naturally, he'd asked her permission before he'd started to plan out everything. And of course, she'd wholeheartedly told him that she would like nothing more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I am," he sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to be your stepdad," Ianto said. She cried out in joy when she heard him say those words. Since the day that she found out about their relationship, she'd talked about nothing else. She really was the best kid he could wish for. After he'd pried her from their necks he put the ring on Ianto's finger and sadly had to leave him behind while they continued on with the award ceremony. But backstage, he could think about nothing more than what their future together would look like. One thing was for sure, it was going to be one hell of a ride.</span>
</p>
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